Silence is Baffling

It is quite remarkable after all of the stories in the press in the last twenty four hours in relation to Perth Glory owner Tony Sage’s statement to the West Australian that he will relinquish ownership of the club at the end of the current A League season, that there has been no official line from the club. No Guts, No glory, one could say?

Fans at present seem split on the issue, some feeling once again they are being blamed for the financial losses the club has suffered in recent years, even though close to seven thousand have been more than loyal to the club. That is because they are loyal to the club and the team, and they are grateful to Mr Sage for keeping the club they love afloat.

Others are blindly loyal to Mr Sage and are hell-bent on convincing him to change his mind and stay at the club.

The truth is if he does stay at the club what will change? One of the reasons that the numbers are not coming through the turnstiles is that the team has continually failed to deliver on the park, not just results but entertaining football. Another is Perth Glory has gone from being one of the hottest tickets in town, to a team you can’t give tickets away to. They no longer have a presence in the Perth community. The people of Perth no longer feel connected to the club.

If Mr Sage is to stay the club has to reconnect with the fans and not just pay lip-service by having meetings with key stakeholders. They have to get back out in the community and work with the people involved in the game locally, and not antagonize them, as has happened.

There is no doubt that every football fan in Perth wants to have a team in the Hyundai A league, but they want to feel a part of that team. They want to feel that it is their team and they are part of it. Currently not many people feel a part of the club, hence the apathy to hand over hard-earned money to support the team.

The silence from the club is another example of the disconnect that currently exists. While many are speculating, why has the club not come out with an official comment for those fans that do support them?

Not sure if you have seen or heard what Nick Marvin has done over at the Perth Wildcats Ashley, but I went to a talk by him a few weeks ago, and the culture they have implemented and the results coming from that implementation should be followed by Glory. The problem is, Glory have continually gone for the “jobs for the boys” mentality which ensures that we always do what we’ve always done, and always get what we’ve always got.